A TSF reader who signs his e-mail Disgruntled Scribe says while yesterday wasn't another Black Tuesday, Sun Media did make some key announcements for mainly the Osprey papers.
The changes, says DS, will be made at the expense of local editorials, local letters to the editor, local news slots and Canadian Press wire copy.
And, predictably, it will mean more job losses down the road.
The changes, says DS, will be made at the expense of local editorials, local letters to the editor, local news slots and Canadian Press wire copy.
And, predictably, it will mean more job losses down the road.
"Hi there,
Just thought I'd share some of the announcements coming down today . . . a Black Tuesday: Part 2. (except no layoffs.)
"Sun Media is rolling out PDF pages of editorial, national news, sports, sports agate and entertainment pages each day in either full or half-pages . . . the biggest is the limitations on editorial pages, which will likely mean no more local letters to the editor.
"As well, all papers are going to have a redesign but will look the same, relying on the redesign the London Free Press recently had. The paper I work for has had the same design/fonts/five columns for decades (change probably overdue) but Sun Media uses six columns and this one has five so readers will need to adjust.
"Advertising ad stacks will likely be a thing of the past with these new PDFs, meaning more frustration for advertising personnel and their clients.
"What it basically comes down to is a phasing out of the wire. We're told now to avoid using Canadian Press as much as possible and I predict in a year or so Sun Media will no longer be associated with CP, or at least at the smaller daily papers. A couple have already cancelled the service in the past year.
"Personally, I see the writing on the wall for more cutbacks with editors getting axed with these new pages coming. And no doubt local copy will once again take a hard hit."
An update from DS:
DS said Tuesday's announcements will impact mainly the Osprey papers purchased by Quebecor in summer of 2007.
"We run five local editorials each week out of six days, but that is going to be reduced to one a week with the rest coming from Sun Media. Local letters to the editor may still run, but that hasn't been finalized (re) how the PDFs will look."
"Sun Media is rolling out PDF pages of editorial, national news, sports, sports agate and entertainment pages each day in either full or half-pages . . . the biggest is the limitations on editorial pages, which will likely mean no more local letters to the editor.
"As well, all papers are going to have a redesign but will look the same, relying on the redesign the London Free Press recently had. The paper I work for has had the same design/fonts/five columns for decades (change probably overdue) but Sun Media uses six columns and this one has five so readers will need to adjust.
"Advertising ad stacks will likely be a thing of the past with these new PDFs, meaning more frustration for advertising personnel and their clients.
"What it basically comes down to is a phasing out of the wire. We're told now to avoid using Canadian Press as much as possible and I predict in a year or so Sun Media will no longer be associated with CP, or at least at the smaller daily papers. A couple have already cancelled the service in the past year.
"Personally, I see the writing on the wall for more cutbacks with editors getting axed with these new pages coming. And no doubt local copy will once again take a hard hit."
An update from DS:
DS said Tuesday's announcements will impact mainly the Osprey papers purchased by Quebecor in summer of 2007.
"We run five local editorials each week out of six days, but that is going to be reduced to one a week with the rest coming from Sun Media. Local letters to the editor may still run, but that hasn't been finalized (re) how the PDFs will look."
We've been told we may be allowed to use up to two local editorials a week -- it's almost like begging for table scraps. What is appalling -- and a shame -- is how unimportant local voices are in this company. The new editorial page layout is incredibly restrictive, and takes up valuable letter space to make room for two Sun Media columnists. Oh, but we can substitute in a local columnist if we so desire. Is that supposed to make us grateful?
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